


Nevertheless

by Mere



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 21:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13326882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mere/pseuds/Mere
Summary: Alec and Magnus are family, and there is no denying that.





	Nevertheless

**Author's Note:**

> From this prompt, "Malec prompt: Alec referring to Magnus as 'family'? :)" 
> 
> As with everything else, I have absolutely no idea how this ended up being over a thousand words, when I planned it for five hundred. 
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at [merelore](http://www.merelore.tumblr.com) where you can send me prompts or talk to me there!
> 
> Your comments, kudos and support are most welcome and invigorate me!

Alec had been summoned back to the institute by his mother — and so he reluctantly got out of bed that morning. Magnus was nowhere in sight, which probably meant he was already up and working. Rubbing his hands through his hair, Alec went to get dressed. In the main room, he found Magnus had already made tea of some sort, and was sitting, reading. It was times like this that Alec wished they could just crawl back into bed and sleep for a year. Magnus looked up and smiled as Alec entered the room, his face and clothes already put together.  
  
“Did you want some tea?” Magnus asked and waved one of his hands towards the tray.  
  
Alec shook his head, “I’ve got to get to the institute. My mother called us all back for something today."  
  
Magnus raised his eyebrows, “Do you know what she wants from you?”  
  
“My mother may be better in regards to us — but she still has her secrets.”  
  
Alec stepped over to the chair and leaned down to kiss Magnus. Magnus’s hand slid up to cup the back of Alec’s neck, and it was a few moments before they pulled back, Magnus’s eyes still closed in bliss, “Go do what you need to, Alexander. I’ll see you tonight.”  
  
Alec moved away from Magnus and headed to the door. There were moments still when he had the desire to just ignore life and spend time with Magnus, just to be near him, to touch him…he shut the door firmly behind him and headed to the institute. Even as the Head of the Institute, Alec often felt like there were many people still judging him, judging his relationship despite everything. He straightened his shoulders a bit more and went to meet his mother. In the office he found his mother, Max, Jace and Izzy all assembled. A meeting then.  
  
Maryse didn’t say anything when he walked in, but Jace gave him a little grin and Izzy went to stand next to him.  
  
“What exactly is going on?” Alec asked.  
  
“I thought it would be nice if we had a family dinner,” Maryse said, “Because of everything that has happened recently. Spend some time together.”  
  
He was exchanging looks with Jace and Izzy, and Izzy asked, “Just us?”  
  
“It’s been awhile since we’ve talked,” Maryse said ignoring Izzy’s question, “And dinner would be a nice way to do it.”  
  
“Dinner,” Jace said, “A dinner? In which we talk about our lives? Why not just do it now?”  
  
There was a bit of a silence before Maryse said, “I thought you could invite Clary, and Alec could invite Magnus.”  
  
Alec felt his stomach dip and swoop. He knew how Magnus and his mother got on — not well, and not often. It was certainly surprising and Alec heard himself saying, “I’ll have to ask Magnus. I’ll let you know. Was there anything else?”  
  
He watched his mother hesitate for a moment before she said, “No, I’ll let you get back to your duties.”

——

Magnus looked up when Alec opened the apartment door. He looked absolutely exhausted.  
  
“Long day?” Magnus asked as he watched Alec disarm. Which was…hmm. Magnus felt his mind drift for one moment, and almost missed Alec’s reply.  
  
“Very long day. My mother cornered us about having a family dinner.”  
  
“Oh? For you and your miscellaneous siblings?”  
  
Alec’s mouth quirked up a bit as if he found something amusing, and Magnus wondered what exactly about that could be amusing.  
  
“Not quite,” Alec said and dropped the rest of his gear on the nearby table and went straight to Magnus who stood to meet him. The kiss wasn’t short like the one they shared this morning. Now they had the time to lose themselves in the kiss, to enjoy the moments they had together.  
  
“So,” Magnus said as he pulled back, “What does not quite mean? Did she not invite Jace?” Magnus pondered that for a moment, “I had thought that was resolved.”  
  
“It is,” Alec said and kissed Magnus again, and Magnus kissed him back, his hand smoothing down Alec’s chest.  
  
“Well?” Magnus prompted before they both forgot that they were trying to have a conversation.  
  
“She told Jace he could invite Clary. She told me to invite you.”  
  
Magnus pulled away slightly in surprise, “To this family dinner?”  
  
“Where else?” Alec asked, “You’re family too. She should know it, considering how many times we’ve mentioned it.” Magnus was still processing this information, when Alec kissed him again then asked, “Will you go with me?”  
  
Magnus placed his hand on the side of Alec’s cheek, and watched the subtle shift of Alec’s facial muscles, “I’ll go with you, you know I will.”  
  
Alec hugged Magnus, and murmured, “Thank you,” into Magnus’s shoulder. Magnus wondered what had suddenly prompted Maryse to propose this idea, she’d finally accepted him and Alec, to a certain extent, but it had been by no means easy. Magnus lingered in the hug for a few more minutes before he pulled away and went to fetch them drinks. He saw Alec settle down on the couch, and stretch one of his arms over the back of it.  
  
“Did you eat?” Magnus asked.  
  
Alec frowned.  
  
Magnus laughed, “Clearly, someone needs to remind you to eat.”  
  
“You do,” Alec told him, tipping his head back.  
  
“I’m not always there, however.”  
  
“We could change that,” Alec said thoughtfully.  
  
“I don’t think so. I need to do my work from here. I can imagine Downworlders would be less than pleased to have to go to the institute to see me.”  
  
Alec sighed, “I do suppose that’s true.”  
  
Magnus settled on the couch next to him, leaning back into Alec all the while balancing his drink in one hand. It was comfortable like this, and recently it had been so rare for them to have time uninterrupted, he was going to take advantage of it.  
  
Alec asked him, “Were you planning on finishing that drink anytime soon?”  
  
“Why?” Magnus asked back, a smile on his face.

——

Maryse didn’t know why she’d suddenly desired to gather her children and their…significant others? She wasn’t quite sure what exactly Clary and Jace were doing, but it was clear Alec and Magnus had drawn ever closer. It had surprised her that Magnus — who by all accounts she’d heard had been doing the chasing — had been the one to push Alec away. Whatever had occurred must have been mended because what she was hearing now was, “Alec’s boyfriend this, his boyfriend that” from various unnamed sources. While she was happy Alec had gone after his happiness, kept after love, she still worried that one day his heart might get broken. Magnus was, for all intents and purposes, family now. That was as clear as could be. So, she would make an effort, for her son, for the man who was now part of their family because they deserved it.  
  
Sitting at the table, she watched the laughter among them, the good natured ribbing, and it was moments like this she could almost forget that Magnus, was not in fact, the same age as her children, but infinitely older. Maybe wiser. Alec was grinning as he leaned across the table to talk to Jace and Izzy, and then to the side to speak with Magnus in much more intimate, hushed tones. Once in a while, there was an exchange of soft touches, and those she could not decipher, but what did decipher was that what they had was immense, immense and intense.  
  
As they left that night, she thanked them for coming, and Magnus was as polite as ever responding in kind, his hand lingering near Alec’s arm, as if he’d just been resting it there. She watched their backs until they disappeared into the dark.

——

“Well,” Magnus said when they were back at the apartment, “That wasn’t bad at all.”  
  
“My mother was really making an effort,” Alec agreed. This was true, Magnus had expected it to be far worse, but Alec was right, she had really been trying to include everyone. The reason behind why she had organized the dinner was still mysterious, yet he didn’t care about that anymore.  
  
They stood on the balcony, taking in the night air, and then Magnus kissed Alec. He never got tired of kissing Alec, it was a dizzying experience, and he was sure he’d never be able to explain in properly. But when he kissed Alexander, it felt like the world was falling into place.  
  
“I love you,” Magnus told Alexander as they separated.  
  
Alec smiled a little and said, “I love you too.”  
  
Magnus let his hand drop on top of Alec’s where it rested on the balcony’s side and turned to face Brooklyn.  
  
“You are family,” Alec suddenly said, “and my mother can see that now.”  
  
Magnus smiled, “A very unique family, to be sure. But family nevertheless.”  
  
Leaning next to Alec like this, Magnus didn’t have to envision a happy future, he already had it.


End file.
